UNC Basketball: Armando Bacot named to All-ACC Tournament first team

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 05: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes up for a layup against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center on January 05, 2021 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 05: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes up for a layup against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center on January 05, 2021 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot named to All-ACC Tournament first team

North Carolina sophomore center Armando Bacot has been named to the All-ACC Tournament first team after his performances in consecutive days against Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Florida State. Bacot is joined on the first team by Georgia Tech’s Michael Devoe (MVP) and Jose Alvarado, Florida State’s Balsa Koprivica and Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim.

Bacot notched a 20-point, 13-rebound game against the Fighting Irish on Wednesday, hitting 7-of-10 shots from the floor and 6-of-7 at the free throw line. He added two blocks, one steal and one assist in 24 minutes of play.

He followed that double-double up with another one against the Hokies on Thursday, scoring 17 points and pulling down another 13 rebounds in an exciting 81-73 quarterfinal victory. He was 7-for-9 shooting for the game, and had a game-high four blocks. He scored 12 points on a 5-for-10 shooting performance against the Seminoles to go along with six rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist in Friday night’s disappointing semifinal loss.

Bacot averaged 16.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game over the three-day stretch. He shot an outstanding 65.5 percent from the floor, and was the Tar Heels’ most consistent player during the tournament.

Now, Bacot and his teammates await their seeding in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Committee has until 6:00 p.m. EST to finalize their choices for the 2021 NCAA Tournament, which will be announced live on CBS. The tournament will officially begin on Thursday with the first four games, and will be followed by the Rounds of 64 and 32 on Friday and Saturday.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the 2021 NCAA Tournament, and everything UNC basketball.